Mediate is Buick Open leader

GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- Rocco Mediate shot an 8-under 64 Thursday -- his lowest score on the PGA Tour in four years -- to take a one-shot lead in the Buick Open with an 8-under 64.

The five-time PGA Tour winner had only one top-10 finish last year, ending the season a career-low 206th on the money list.

Mediate, who won the 2000 Buick Open, missed just two greens in regulation Thursday despite hitting just nine of 14 fairways, and made 27 putts in a bogey-free day.

It was his best effort since opening 2003 at the Mercedes Championship with a final-round 63.

Brett Quigley, 1995 Buick Open winner Woody Austin and Brian Bateman shot 65s and 2003 champion Jim Furyk was among a group of four another stroke back, in a tournament up for grabs without Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh in the field for the first time since 2001.

Woods announced earlier that he wouldn't defend his title this week because he is spending time with his wife and their newborn daughter.

Singh ended his five-year string of appearances at the Buick Open because of an elbow injury.

US WOMEN'S OPEN: Park leads

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- In a U.S. Women's Open dominated by talk of teenagers, one of them wound up atop the leaderboard.

As 17-year-old Michelle Wie continued her free fall and 12-year-old Alexis Thompson played carefree until it was too dark to continue, LPGA Tour rookie Angela Park, 18, birdied her first three holes and hung on for a 3-under 68, leaving her in the lead in the first round for the second straight major.

No rain touched the turf at Pine Needles, but play was suspended for 31/2 hours because of lightning in the area, allowing only the morning batch of 78 players to finish the round.

Thompson, the youngest qualifier in U.S. Women's Open history, three-putted the 18th green for a bogey that put her at 3 over par after nine holes. Wie went off early, and fell off the map quickly. She hit only four fairways, matched her highest score in a Women's Open with an 82.

Karrie Webb, a seven-time major champion, failed to make a birdie and walked off with an 83, her highest score on the LPGA Tour.

Three players were at 2 under at various points on Pine Needles -- In-Bee Park (16 holes), Jee Young Lee (12) and Karine Icher (10).